


Another Day Goes By

by johnshuaa



Series: home is where the heart is [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 98 line are room mates lol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, Coffee, English Line, Fluff, I love English Line so much tho???, I was supposed to be studying for finals but I wrote this instead, I'm going to fail help me, M/M, One Shot, Romance, josh is still from LA cuz why not, lots of coffee, new york bois, these tags are getting too long and boring, vernon can be an idiot and i love it, winter ig?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 14:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13483068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnshuaa/pseuds/johnshuaa
Summary: Joshua didn't think he could fall in love with his best friend, until, of course, he did.Originally titled: Yes, I'm Falling in Love





	Another Day Goes By

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH FIRST FIC BEING PUBLISHED I'M EXCITED.  
> I'm supposed to be studying for midterms/finals or whatever but I wanted to write for the school magazine and I wrote this instead but I really didn't want to submit legit fanfiction...
> 
> Plz enjoy thanks.

 

To Joshua, fear was nothing to be afraid of. It’s just another setback to overcome, and personally, he didn’t believe in it. Fear is a figment of his imagination, where a person’s mind weaves a negative outlook on a certain thing, and their minds get deceived. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less.

However, Joshua was scared. It wasn’t just the typical, _I forgot to study and now there’s a test,_ or, _the teacher’s calling on me but I wasn’t paying attention_ , type of dread that he was, unfortunately, very used to. Those little things often only made his stomach drop and his heart rate speeds up ever so slightly. No, he was, for once in his life, truly  _frightened._

He had a fear of falling. Joshua knew it was irrational, that falling in love with your best friend wasn’t something to be afraid of. It happened all the time to the people around him. But he was always so sure that it would end badly, just like how every other movie or book foretold.

He feared that loving is just another little thing that could hurt him. He did not want to fall in love. (But he knows it’s inevitable because his best friend is Hansol Vernon Choi.)

///

It all started a week ago, when Joshua was sitting alone under his favorite tree at lunch, chewing on an apple with his textbook propped on his lap. This was one of those days when his best friend was off, probably socializing with another much more popular crowd rather than sitting with Joshua and getting blatantly ignored. It’s not like he minded. After all, Hansol fitted in with those loud, talkative people, and not as much with him. Joshua sometimes wondered how he ever became friends with Hansol in the first place.

He was just about to read the next paragraph of his book, something about activation heat, or some nonsense like that, when a foot nudged the cover until the textbook closed with a soft _thump_. The tip of the shoe kicked the spine gently until it fell off Joshua’s lap. He looked up, and saw none other than his best friend, holding two styrofoam cups and smiling mischievously down at him.

“Tsk, Joshua. Always studying last minute,” Hansol cooed, handing one of the cups to Joshua, who took gratefully. It was early January, and the ground was particularly cold that specific day. Maybe it just wanted to rile Joshua up. It’s not like the weather ever went according to how he would prefer anyway.

“Thank you,” Joshua mumbled, sipping on his cup lightly. Earl Grey tea, mixed with a sugar cube and two tablespoons of milk, the way Hansol liked when he didn’t get coffee. Joshua downed the drink nonetheless, coughing when the hot liquid burnt his tongue and throat.

Hansol laughed at him, throwing his head back with a hearty chuckle, and for some reason, Joshua noticed just how breathtaking his best friend was. He first saw the eye crinkles, only present when Hansol squeezed his eyes shut. Then his ears went red, and a soft shade of pink flushed upon his cheeks. His mouth curled into his usual open-mouthed smile, and the breathy giggle that came out made Joshua suck in his own breath.

He suddenly felt dizzy, but he couldn’t tell if it was the euphoric kind he gets from running outdoors or the nauseous kind when he’s suffering from a cold.

“Next time, be more careful, okay? Promise me,” Hansol says, hooking his pinky finger with Joshua’s. Their matching silver rings glistened under the gently streams of sunlight.

Joshua’s head suddenly felt like it was going to explode.

“Yeah, I promise.”

///

Just a day later, Hansol dragged Joshua to the quaint coffee shop across the street from campus that just opened up. They were supposed to “study”, so to speak, but Joshua knew that once Hansol took a sip of whatever energizing drink he ordered that day, there would be minimal to no work done.

For some reason, the sky decided this was the perfect day to start snowing, and now, Joshua was wrapped in a beige trenchcoat and peach sweater, his face barely poking out of the white scarf around his neck.

Hansol, on the other hand, wore thick, plaid pajama pants and sweatshirt, with two layers of shirts peeking out underneath. Other than that, he only had a black beanie to cover his head, and he was shivering by the time the two reached the threshold of the coffee shop. Thankfully, the heater inside was on, warming both of them up immediately. The smell of coffee beans filled the air.

Hansol took a deep breath in and exhaled, a satisfied look settling on his face. He walked up to the counter, scanning through the chalkboard menu quickly.

Joshua took the time to examine his features. The snow was melting on his beanie and sweatshirt, leaving dark spots on each article of clothing. He swore he could see a snowflake balanced on his long lashes. He realized how sharp Hansol’s jawline was, etched into a clean line. _His silhouette is pretty_ , Joshua concluded, and he left it at that.

His lips moved animatedly when he talked, and it looked as if he were over exaggerating the words when-

“Josh, what do you wanna drink? I’ll cover you today for dragging you here.”

Joshua blinked a couple times. His head was pounding, and he could feel the blood rushing to his head. Hopefully, his scarf and the warmth of the room could hide his embarrassing blush.

“Er, I’ll get whatever you’re having…?” He phrased it like a question. It’s not like he liked coffee anyways; he just really enjoyed Hansol’s company.

“Well, if you’re sure…”

Joshua left for the seats by the window, and he took a couple glances out at the snowy landscape. Despite having lived in New York for the past three years, he still couldn’t get used to the freezing weather here that contrasts greatly with the ever-so-slightly cold winters in Los Angeles.

Hansol returned with two piping hot mugs, both decorated with whipped cream and candy cane sprinkles. He placed both down haphazardly, nearly spilling some of the dark liquid onto the little table.

Joshua reached out to take the red mug, but Hansol quickly switched it with the blue mug instead. He looked at Hansol quizzically, but lifted the cup and sipped it lightly. To his surprise, there was no bitter taste of coffee and only the sweetness that chocolate could bring.

Hansol drank his own cup, too, scrunching his nose when the drink burnt his tongue.

“The coffee here is pretty good. We should come back tomorrow,” he said, grinning. There was a line of whipped cream on top of his lips, and Joshua was taken aback at the thought of wanting to wipe it off with his thumb in one smooth sweep. He laced his fingers together to prevent his stupid reflexes from doing anything weird.

“We didn’t order coffee… though?”

“Oh. I didn’t order coffee for you. I know you don’t like it, so I got the peppermint hot cocoa instead. How is it?”

Joshua didn’t know his heart could clench so hard without bursting open.

///

Joshua received a call at 11 pm on a Thursday night. He was just about to prep for an early night in, having finished all of his homework that afternoon instead of leaving it last minute again.

He was already in his pajamas, under his blanket with his nightlight on, aimlessly scrolling through Twitter and liking whatever came up. His screen suddenly brightened dramatically with the name _Vernon :3_ flashing. Joshua grimaced at the light but tapped the green pick up button anyways.

“Hello?”

Joshua could only hear heavy breathing and the faint chattering of teeth.

“Hansol, what’s wrong.”

“ _I_ _t’s cold out here. Open up._ ”

Joshua threw his sheets off, phone still pressed against his ear. He scrambled for the front door of his apartment and threw it open, finding Hansol in only a thin T-shirt and jeans, shivering.

“What on earth are you doing here?”

Hansol pushed past Joshua into the apartment and threw himself onto the worn-down sofa in the middle of the living room.

“Seungkwan kicked me out. I’m staying here for the night, I guess,” he said, barely bothering to even prop his legs on the couch before shutting his eyes.

“Why didn’t you even bother putting a jacket on? It’s freezing out there!” Joshua scolded, and Hansol just pursed his lips in response.

“Hansol Vernon Choi, what did you do this time?”

Hansol popped one of his eyes open, his eyebrow quirking up. “I may or may not have accidentally used Seungkwan’s shampoo to clean the dishes today…”

Joshua let out a deep sigh.

“I mean, at least our plates smell nice now. Kind of like vanilla and almonds.”

“Good to know. Get some rest. I’ll talk to Seungkwan and get you back home soon.”

Hansol was already seemingly asleep at that point.

Joshua went to his closet to search for an extra blanket, but could only find the thinner sheets he used during warmer seasons. He huffed, taking them out and throwing them onto his bed, and picking up his plush comforter instead. He hauled it out to the living room and laid it gently across Hansol’s body, making sure to tuck his legs onto the cushions to keep him from rolling off in the middle of the night.

Though Hansol was only around two years younger, Joshua found him to be just an innocent little angel. He realized that the other grew his hair out longer, the highlighted tips fading from its light blonde. Hansol’s lips settled in a straight line, slightly open. He’s a mouth breather when he slept, and Joshua was surprised that he had noticed that before. He blames it on his observation skills that are somehow nonexistent during labs at school.

Shaking his head, Joshua made sure Hansol’s arms were under the blanket and turned, ready to go back to his cold, lonely bed. However, Hansol’s hand shot out from under the sheet and grabbed onto Joshua’s forearm, gripping it in a tight hold.

“What if I don’t want to go back? It feels like home here.” His voice was deep and slightly hoarse. Sleep was drawing him near, Joshua could tell.

“Then you can stay here as long as you want,” Joshua mumbled back. The hold around his arm moved, tugging him downwards. He knelt down, face-to-face with the tired boy.

“Thank you,” Hansol whispered, and his grip loosened. Joshua looked gently at his friend, memorizing the soft features he had when lulled by sleep.

“You’re welcome.”

Joshua debated whether or not to press a kiss to Hansol’s forehead while he was asleep and surely won’t remember it the next morning. It took all of his willpower to stand back up and drag himself to his room, missing the softness of his plush blanket, but probably the warmth of Hansol’s hands more.

///

He knew something was changing. It’s been nearly a week, and Joshua couldn’t go a day without taking the time to admire Hansol.

He seemed to notice every little thing he did, such as his attempts at smirks that end up showing too many teeth, or the bags under his eyes from staying up past midnight to finish all the homework he procrastinated.

And of course, it always went back to his smiles. Joshua’s stomach drops dangerously low whenever he saw it, and it’s like he accidentally ingested his butterflies and now they’re clogging up his intestines.

That same feeling of fear was back again. He’s been apprehensive all week, ignoring his school work to just sit and _think_. He knew he wasn’t going to come in terms with his feelings yet. But he’s so, so scared that something’s going to happen and he won’t be able to stop and everything will just go crashing down.

It’s happened before, and Joshua was sure it was going to happen again.

He spent more time considering what that _s_ _omething_ was going to be. His friendship could go down the drain in a matter of seconds and he would be too afraid to do anything about it.

Fear was catching up to him. It's probably karma for not believing in it in the first place.

///

Hansol invited him out tonight. Joshua had no idea where they were going, but it was a Sunday night and he had an early class the next morning, but he could care less because he was with Hansol and nothing gets better than that.

His best friend picked him up in his ratty old pick up truck passed down from an uncle some time ago. It surely wasn’t the first time Joshua rode that car but he felt as giddy as a schoolgirl going on her first date, which was pretty close to what he was doing at the moment.

They went to dinner, as per usual. Nothing too expensive, as they were still broke college students, but a nice sit-down restaurant with laminated menus and comfy chairs. It was late already, nearly 9 pm because Hansol had a night class on campus. It just meant that Joshua had to get changed late that afternoon instead of lounging around all day.

Just an hour or two later, (and after at least two glasses of wine each) they were outside in the snow again, walking side by side down a random street, Hansol’s car abandoned on some curb a couple blocks back. The cheap red wine was getting into their heads, and of course, they decided that a stroll in the middle of the night along an unfamiliar street in the cold weather was a great idea.

Hansol was only in jeans and an oversized sweatshirt again, and _God_ , Joshua wanted to slap him for wearing so little when he knew he would be going outside. Joshua himself was in yet another one of his long coats out of the many he had hoarded in the past couple of years. He was tempted to wrap his jacket around Hansol’s shoulders but decided against it because no matter how much he loved his best friend, he wasn’t sacrificing his warmth for him. At least, not out here where he would probably accidentally freeze to death.

“Shua, did you know how wonderful you are?” Hansol said, his eyes shimmering under the streetlights. Joshua can tell that the alcohol was getting to him ever so slightly.

“Mhm,” he murmured back, keeping his eyes on the next lamp post over to avoid Hansol’s searing stare.

They strolled on, Joshua’s hands tucked into his pockets, but his fingers still felt numb.

Then a pause. Joshua can’t tell if it’s comfortable or awkward.

“Are you falling in love yet?” Hansol said out of the blue.

Joshua turned slowly, not meeting his eyes but staring at the soft puffs of fog exiting his mouth as he breathed.

Hansol’s lips curled back into a grin, his melodic laugh ringing through the silent night. It always goes back to his laughs. Joshua was sure his entire face was red under the harsh street lamp.

“It’s ok, I’m joking. You don’t have to answer that. I already know you love me,” Hansol mused, making a U-turn at the end of the sidewalk. “Let’s go home.”

Hansol was walking again, and Joshua was still. He wasn’t sure if his heart was working, or that it decided to stop pumping for a few seconds. He blinked a couple times as if assessing whether or not he could still move.

Hansol held out his arm, slowly poking his fingertips out of his sleeve to touch Joshua’s arm. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, then pressed their palms together, lacing their fingers, and was tugging Joshua along.

 _Yes,_ Joshua thought. He could feel his lips curl into a small smile, watching Hansol’s figure as the two went on a midnight search for a way home.

_Yes, I am falling in love. With you._

 

**Author's Note:**

> lmao i changed the title because i totally forgot about this story until now and i lowkey wanna rewrite it despite having 32684 wips rn oops, and because i just like the song and wanted the lyric title things to match ig
> 
> stalk me on  
> twitter  
> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/johnshuaa)


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